2014 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Class Announced

ST LOUIS - OCTOBER 20: Jim Edmonds #15 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after hitting a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the 12th inning giving the Cardinals a 6-4 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series October 20, 2004 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo By Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Jim Edmonds #15 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after hitting a game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the 12th inning giving the Cardinals a 6-4 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series October 20, 2004 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – The St. Louis Cardinals announced that Jim Edmonds, Willie McGee, Mike Shannon and Marty Marion will be inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame presented by Edward Jones on Saturday, August 1. This is the first induction class since the team dedicated the Cardinals Hall of Fame with an Inaugural Class on Opening Day in St. Louis earlier this month.

“We are proud to enshrine this elite group of Cardinals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the honor of permanently joining the greatest names in Cardinals history in our Hall of Fame,” said Bill DeWitt Jr., Cardinals Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We congratulate each of them on this tremendous honor and look forward to celebrating their achievements in August during Induction Weekend.”

Willie McGee. Photo: Getty/Robert Laberge

The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame was established as a way to recognize the exceptional careers and significant achievements of the greatest players in Cardinals history, as well as those who have made exceptional contributions to the organization. To be eligible, players must have played for the Cardinals for at least three seasons and must be retired as a player from Major League Baseball for at least three years. The eligible pool of players is divided into two categories, ‘modern players’ and ‘veteran players.’ If a player retired more than 40 years prior to the induction year, he is classified as a veteran player.

Each member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame is permanently enshrined in the new Cardinals Hall of Fame Gallery presented by Edward Jones that is located on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village, just outside the entrance to the team’s new museum. The Hall of Fame Gallery is free and open to the public. The plaques
that adorn the gallery are being produced by Matthews International, the company that also produces the plaques for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

On Opening Day, the Cardinals dedicated the Hall of Fame with an Inaugural Class, consisting of 22 Cardinals who are either enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame as Cardinals or whose number has been retired by the club. The 2014 Induction Class is the first class to be inducted into the new Hall of Fame that was selected via a formal process which includes fans, baseball experts and the team.

“We want to thank our fans and the Red Ribbon Panel for choosing an outstanding first induction class,” said Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III. “It wasn’t easy to make a selection from a list of the truly greatest players in team history.”

Chosen by the fans, McGee and Edmonds were the top two vote-getters in the first-ever online Cardinals Hall of Fame ballot presented by Edward Jones. The ballot, which also included Cardinals legends Bob Forsch, Keith Hernandez, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris, Ted Simmons and Joe Torre, was selected by a Red Ribbon Panel of Cardinals baseball experts through a secret ballot process. Nearly 80,000 votes were cast by Cardinals fans over the seven-week voting period.

In addition to nominating modern players for fan balloting, the Red Ribbon Panel of Cardinals baseball experts also elected legendary shortstop Marty Marion, a veteran player, for induction using a secret ballot process. Marion, the 1944 National League Most Valuable Player and seven-time All-Star, played 11 seasons with the Cardinals including three World Championship seasons in 1942, ’44 and ’46.

Independent of the Red Ribbon Panel selection process, the Cardinals organization retained the right to annually induct an individual who has been an important figure in Cardinals history and whose contributions to the franchise warrant induction. This year’s selection is Mike Shannon, a lifelong St. Louisan who has been part of the Cardinals family for more than half a century. Mike had a notable playing career with the team followed by more than 40 years in the radio booth as one of most popular broadcasters in team history.

The 2014 Cardinals Induction Class will be formally enshrined at a ceremony on Saturday, August 16th during the 2014 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.

Following is a description of each Inductee’s career as a Cardinal:

Jim Edmonds (Modern Era Player – Fan Selection)

Jim Edmonds joined the Cardinals in 2000 and played eight seasons, making the postseason in six of them and playing in two World Series, winning in 2006. The three-time All-Star won six consecutive Gold Gloves from 2000-05. He ranks 4th on the Cardinals all-time home run list with 241 and hit the game-ending home run in the 11th inning of Game 6 of the 2004 NLCS.

Willie McGee (Modern Era Player – Fan Selection)

Willie McGee played in 13 seasons with the Cardinals, playing in 1661 games, 9th all-time in franchise history. He was a four-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves and was the 1985 National League MVP with league leading marks of a .353 batting average, 18 triples and 216 hits, while stealing 56 bases. McGee played in three World Series, winning as a rookie in 1982 when he finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. He is one of six players to steal over 300 bases with the Cardinals, swiping 301.

Mike Shannon (Team Selection)

Mike Shannon played all nine years of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1962-70. He was a member the World Championship clubs in 1964 and 1967 and National League champions of 1968, a year in which he was seventh in the NL MVP voting. Shannon hit three home runs in the World Series including his final post-season at bat in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series. He entered the broadcast booth in 1972 following his retirement as a player due to kidney disease. Mike has been an exceptional and extremely popular broadcaster for the Cardinals for 43 years.

Marty Marion. Photo: Getty

Marty Marion (Veteran Era Player – Red Ribbon Panel Selection)

Marty Marion played 11 seasons with the Cardinals and was a seven-time all-star. Known as “Slats” or “The Octopus”, he was among the Top 10 in NL MVP voting three times, winning the award during the Cardinals 1944 World Championship season. Marion helped the Cardinals win World Championships in 1942, 1944 and 1946. He played in 23 World Series games and totaled 11 RBI and seven doubles, all among the Top 5 in Cardinals World Series records.